


Safe in the shade

by zsomeone



Category: Metalocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-29
Updated: 2012-05-29
Packaged: 2018-03-17 00:00:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3507527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zsomeone/pseuds/zsomeone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skwisgaar’s side of Bookklok, contains a few lines from Toki’s book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe in the shade

**Author's Note:**

> Toki had an editor. Not a very good one.

Skwisgaar didn’t care about losing his stupid endorsements, it was only temporary. It was almost funny, everyone thought he gave a fuck about that stuff. Toki’s book had put him on everybody’s shit list, but he didn’t care about that either. No, he had much more important things to worry about.

Toki would crack under the pressure. He’d seen it happen so many times before, the top was a terrible place to be. All too often, the spotlight burned them alive and they never were the same again. Sometimes it even killed them. So he kept Toki back, it was the only way to protect him.

_And when I asked him for teaches me piano lessons, he dump a bucket of blood on me THREE TIMES._

That had probably been a little harsh, but he’d had to discourage him somehow. He was too good, too eager to learn. It took time, but eventually Toki quit bothering to practice anymore. He didn’t need to anyway, he had tons of natural talent. Just not the mentality...

_He complain I can’t plays good, but I ask him to am be teaching me and he not. I goes gets a piano teachers and he yells. And teacher dies._

That had been proof enough, even on that little stage he’d fallen apart. If Skwisgaar had any nagging doubts, that took care of them. Toki couldn’t handle the spotlight, he needed to remain safely in his shadow.  
And the teacher dying in his arms probably hadn’t helped any.

_I ask every shows can I has solos but he is am a dick and never lets me! I can plays them too! He never am even let me do the slow ones._

Of course he knew Toki could play them, as long as he wasn’t on stage or otherwise under pressure. Skwisgaar was hoping it would all just blow over somehow, but when they announced that Toki was doing Guitaraganza instead of him, he knew it was already too late.  
The worry was driving him crazy.

He’d even tried to talk to Toki, wanting to get him out of the spotlight while there was maybe still time, wanting to explain.  
But Toki wouldn’t listen, just sat there drinking pink antacid straight from the bottle and being annoyingly stubborn. Thinking he could order Skwisgaar around.  
There was nothing to do but go to Norway.

The waiting was torture, not that the others paid him any attention.  
Toki in his terrible outfit, where the fuck had he even gotten that stuff? But of course he was trying to draw as much attention to himself as he could, and he was still chugging antacid. There was no way this was ending well.

Fame was a drug, you got a taste and you wanted more and more. But just like any other drug, some people never learned to handle it, just kept taking more and more until they overdosed and died. He’d lost count of how many he’d seen fall in his life, the stress could bring on heart attacks or strokes with alarming regularity.   
And Toki was as high as anyone could be.

For a brief moment when Toki began to play Skwisgaar hoped he’d been wrong, that maybe Toki would make it through. But then it started. The music corrupted, and the crowd grew hostile.  
He watched from the sidelines in horror as Toki clutched at his chest and sank to the ground.  
NO! Not Toki!

Where were the medics? Where was the butler? Nobody was doing anything!  
Racing over, Skwisgaar grabbed the paddles and dropped to his knees beside Toki. He heard the words but he didn’t trust them, maybe it was only a panic attack and maybe it wasn’t, he wasn’t taking any chances. Toki looked like he was dying.

Skwisgaar applied the paddles, not even aware of the words he was yelling. All he could think was saving Toki, who he’d tried to protect for so long, who he couldn’t bear to lose.  
The gears finally arrives, carrying Toki away and herding them all to safety. Skwisgaar refused to leave his side, so they had no choice but to let him ride with them.

Maybe one day he could explain it to Toki.  
Maybe one day Toki would actually listen, believe.  
They told him that Toki would be fine, but still he stayed, he had to.  
Had to hold Toki safe in his shadow.


End file.
